Stephen Strange (Earth-2772)
| Last = | HistoryText = Little is known about Strange's early life, but he had a younger sister called April Strange whom he clearly loved, even though they teased one another on daily basis. One day, after Strange forcefully applied a crude lipstick on his sister and she assaults him, she suddenly fainted and Stephen promptly took her to hospital. She was diagnosed with a fatal, incurable disease and the doctor warned him that it was merely a matter of time before she died. Distressed by the news, and just six months from becoming fully qualified, Stephen refused to accept the diagnosis and told April that he would be her surgeon when he qualified (even though, in real life, physicians are not allowed to treat family members, implying that Strange was disrespecting ethical rules). On the day of the surgery, Stephen promised to April that the operation would be a success and all would end well for them. Unfortunately, April died during the operation and, although Strange's skills at medicine would greatly improve in time and grant him great fame and respect, Stephen blamed himself for April's death, and over time grew greedy and arrogant (possibly a coping mechanism of his guilt over April's death). It's also revealed that he had a relationship with Dr. Gina Atwater at some unspecified time, but a remark from the latter that their romance finished after a sudden change in Strange's personality implies that relationship occurred while April was still alive. Years later, while Stephen Strange was driving to work, he unintentionally witnessed the battle between a group of mages and a large, tiger-like demon, despite them all having used magic to become invisible, much to the mages' astonishment (mainly Wong). Though shocked, Strange dismisses what he sees as a stress-induced hallucination and head back to the hospital, where he treats the other employees with cold arrogance. While in his office, the hospital's administrator Dr. Oliver tells him that Gina is having problems and successfully convinces a very reluctant Stephen to take a look. When Stephen arrives at the clinic, he becomes annoyed at the fact the patient is a child, but Dr. Atwater reveals that her condition is much more grave than it appears to be and that several other children are also in comas, and she doesn't know what to do. When he tries to examine the young girl, she suddenly grabs his arm and Strange has a vision of a "burning face", and when the parents confirm that the child has that same vision, a scared Strange leaves, claiming that there's nothing that he can do help, despite Atwater's protests. While Stephen drives away, he has more demonic visions and his attempted detour from ghostly children leads Strange to suffer a car accident and become unconscious. When he wakes up and starts to recover, Dr. Gina Atwater reluctantly shows him his medical chart which shows his hands were damaged beyond repair. Despite Atwater's hopes that the diagnosis isn't definitive, Strange soon finds out that his hands barely work, making it hard to hold objects, and impossible to return to medicine. Distressed, Stephen spends almost his entire fortune seeking out any expert who might be able to help him, but his search is fruitless. Homeless and hopeless, Stephen attempts suicide, but Wong intervenes and gives him a map that will lead him to promised help in Tibet. With nothing to lose, Stephen convinced a reluctant Gina to pay his flight to Tibet, where Strange makes his way to his destiny in the icy mountains. A simple gust of wind leads him to lose the map, but he successfully finds a monastery where he's greeted by Wong, the Ancient one and his gruff apprentice Mordo. To Stephen's dismay, the Ancient One tells him that he can't fix his hands, but rather, he himself must find one, he must 'heal' his soul. Despite his confusion over the Ancient One's powers and the hard work that he has to do - knocking down walls, cleaning floors, and other general chores around the monastery - Stephen proves to be a dedicated and even competent servant and is, daily, rewarded with some extra facilities in his room (such as blankets). His patience is tested, however, when he is ordered to destroy a wall within the monastery and take the stones away. This task is made more difficult when the wall is rebuilt every day, with harder and heavier stones. When Strange asks Wong how this is meant to heal his hands, he is told that this has nothing to do with his hands, leading to a frustrated and angry Stephen leaving the monastery. Stephen sees flashbacks of his life, including the moment when April died, and he is consoled by the Ancient One, who appears in his mind, telling him that he has the natural ability to heal, but some cannot be healed, like his sister. Stephen accepted the council and returned, but when he asked how he could move the heavy blocks, the Ancient One introduces Stephen to the art of sorcery and explain that, in basis, all is an illusion that can be manipulated, like lifting a heavy object or creating weapons from thin air. Confused but accepting the explanation, Stephen has his hands restored and begins his training at the mystical arts. During his training, Mordo attempts to kill Strange due to Ancient One favoring Stephen over him as the new Sorcerer Supreme and the fact that Stephen accidentally humiliates him, defeating him when he would have been killed, proving his natural affinity for the craft. When Mordo runs at him with two axes, Wong intervenes and take on Stephen's training. After having completed his training and changed his appearance, Strange accompanies the Ancient One and his disciples to the nexus between realities, where the Ancient One explained that all the demon attacks happening recently are a warning that the true threat, Dormammu, is coming to their reality somehow. Seeing the fire, Stephen recognises the demon to be the one that has been appearing in the dreams of the comatose children he saw when he was still a surgeon. The Ancient One realizes the Dormammu is using the mind of children to bypass the seals that keep the planet safe from him, leading Stephen and Mordo to volunteer to rescue the children from Dormammu's reach. Returning to the city, Strange goes to the hospital to see the children, and wake them to prevent Dormammu from entering their realm. After putting Gina to sleep, Strange starts to wake the children one-by-one. Unfortunately, while he is at the hospital, Mordo is making a deal with Dormammu, telling him of the plan to prevent his attack on the planet. Fortunately, Wong once again intervenes when Mordo tries to stab Stephen in the back and saves Strange's life. Dormammu soon possesses the comatose children, and to Strange's distress, he soon finds out that all the other disciples are dead and Mordo killed the Ancient One. Wong then offers the Ancient One's Eye of Agamotto and explains that, before his death, the Ancient One chose him to be the new Sorcerer Supreme. Despite feeling unworthy of the title, Strange accepts the position knowing that no one else could. While Dormammu slowly enters the reality through the children's mouths, Strange confronts Mordo and easily defeats him. However, it's too late and Dormammu soon devours Mordo for his incompetence and forcibly takes the Eye of Agamotto, allowing Dormammu to become more powerful than ever. Stephen engages a brief but intense mystical battle against Dormammu, but when it becomes clear that the demon has the upper-hand, Wong tells Strange that Dormammu is made of pure magic, and that his own power can be used against him. Strange takes advantage of this knowledge and, to Wong's and Dormammu's surprise, not only he managed to get the eye back, but also use it to completely absorb the demon's essence within it, causing Dormammu's physical body to crumble to dust. Wong praises Strange, but warns him that several malevolent supernatural beings still exist in the universe and there is still a great deal of work to be done. The next morning, Stephen appears to Gina to thank her and tell her that is well; he also visits April's grave, finally able to come to terms with her death, realising that it was a situation outside of his control. As they enter the Sanctum Sanctorum, Wong reveals that they have already started to look for new disciples to train, and casually mentions a woman named Clea as a powerful candidate. | Powers = *Seemingly those of Stephen Strange of Earth-616. Also able to have visions, see beyond mystical illusions and instinctively absorb and redirect spells and their energy with little training, and is notably more powerful and faster at learning magic than other experienced sorcerers. | Abilities = *Martial arts training he received under the training of Mordo and later Wong. | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = * The Eye of Agamotto. * The Cloak of Levitation. | Transportation = | Weapons = * Various (mystically conjured) | Notes = | Trivia = | Marvel = | Wikipedia = | Links = }} Category:Fencing Category:Martial Arts Category:Flight Category:Energy Absorption Category:Summoning Category:Matter Manipulation Category:Hydrokinesis Category:Force Field Category:Telekinesis Category:Doctors Category:Telepaths Category:Healers Category:Atmokinesis Category:Heterochromia Category:Energy Manipulation Category:Concussive Blasts Category:Teleporters Category:Hypnosis Category:Astral Projection Category:Astral Trapping Category:Cryokinesis Category:Strange Family